The new technology is expected to save millions of cedis by eliminating the need for expensive emergency trips to pick up health care products and by avoiding wasteful overstocking of products at health facilities.
The drones will operate 24 hours a day from four distribution centres across the country.
The centres will stock 184 life-saving and essential medical supplies including emergency blood and oxytocin to save women’s lives in childbirth, emergency medicines for surgeries, severe infections, antivenins and anti-rabies, diabetic emergencies and extremely high blood pressure drugs.
According to medical experts, this revolutionary healthcare service will help save lives, decrease waste in the system and increase healthcare access for more than 14 million people nationwide.
Deputy Information Minister Pius Enam Hadzide said government was aware of the various feedbacks that have greeted the proposed introduction of the technology project including that from GMA.
He reiterated government’s call on the GMA to support the project and make it work efficiently for the country.
However, Mr. Hadzide said government was surprised with the GMA’s position that “the proposed services to be provided by the drones do not conform to the primary healthcare policy in Ghana.”
“The drone technology like other technology introduced into the health delivery system ladies and gentlemen fits well into the primary health care policy towards the achievement of universal health coverage,” Mr. Hadzide told journalists at a media briefing in Accra yesterday.
He revealed that at the 2018 Annual Health Summit of the GMA in Accra, Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia announced to the medical association, government’s intention to roll out the project among the provision of ambulances to ensure effective healthcare delivery in the country.
According to him, some GMA officials including its General Secretary Dr. Justice Yankson welcomed the project.
Dr. Yankson was reported to have acknowledged that “Well, for us as an association, on countless occasions, we have bemoaned the state of emergency medical service in the country, so if efforts are being made by the government to ensure we strengthen that aspect of our healthcare delivery, then we say kudos.”
Deputy Minister Hadzide said government was committed to ensuring effective health care delivery in the country especially in rural areas, adding that, “we believe the Drone Health Delivery System will largely make an impact aside other measures to improve the health sector.”
He assured the GMA and other stakeholders that the doors of government were open for further engagements and consultations on the drone project which is to benefit all Ghanaians.
GMA Protest
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) introduced the drone deal and the transaction was approved by parliament on Tuesday after three attempts by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in parliament to foil it.
However, just after the parliamentary approval, the GMA called on government to suspend the implementation of the deal.
In a statement signed by its President, Dr. Frank Ankobea, the GMA said, “The government should suspend the planned implementation of this system immediately.”
The GMA further proposed that, “Broader stakeholder consultations on the use of this autonomous remotely piloted aircraft system (drones) in healthcare delivery in the country should be conducted to decide the way forward.”
According to the Association, steps should be taken to “improve the referral systems, especially in the emergency situations, which to all intents and purposes is more beneficial.”
GMA, which maintained it was not consulted on the issue, pointed out that “health should not be politicised and that the health of Ghanaians is critical.”
It noted that it was not against the use of technology to improve healthcare in the country.
It stated however that “each single intervention proposed in this direction should not be seen as a panacea to solving our health problems but rather as an augmentation to existing efforts.”
The statement said the services to be provided by the drones do not conform to the existing primary healthcare policy in Ghana, where different levels of care have different capacities to perform specific functions.
The association believes the use of drones without the necessary improvement in the human resource capacity will not inure to the benefit of the country.
Prior to the parliamentary approval, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) described the deal as extremely useful and called on all Ghanaians to support the idea.
GHS Explanation
Addressing a news conference on Tuesday December 4, 2018, the GHS Director-General, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare expressed worry over the continuous politicisation of government’s novel ideas by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), even when they have little understanding of the matter.
Dr. Nsiah-Asare further dispelled rumours that the project is expensive and would cripple the government’s budget.
Rather, he said the project cost per service delivery of $17 is lower than what is currently being charged in Rwanda at $22.7 per delivery, and most importantly, would go a long way to save precious lives.
He was emphatic that this drone delivery service will come at zero cost to the government of Ghana budget, stressing that per the current arrangements; the cost will be borne by the corporate sector through their corporate social responsibility obligations.
Rwanda experience
As is done in Rwanda, Ghana seeks to use a drone delivery network, which will be run by the GHS and the Ministry of Health, to give Ghana the most advanced healthcare supply chain in the sub-region.
When one of the 2,500 health facilities covered by the new service runs out of a product, it will order an emergency delivery by a drone that will arrive in 30 to 40 minutes. The drones will not replace the existing supply chain.
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Source: The Custodian
